Employee Relations
Md. Musharrof Hossain
President, Bangladesh Society For Human
Resources Management(BSHRM)
&
Head, Human Resources Management,
ICDDR,B 1
What is Employee Relations
Employee Relations ensures that employee rights are
protected and that local, state and federal laws and
regulations are applied to all employees. Employee
Relations processes employee grievances and
investigates relevant incidents
A policy of encouraging employees to come to higher
management with any concerns
2
Five Key Dimensions of Employee
Relations
Employee
Involvement
Employee Good Employee Employee
Rights Relations Communication
Employee Employee
Discipline Counselling
3
Downward Communication Systems
• In-House Publications
• Information Booklets
• Employee Bulletins
• Prerecorded Messages
• Electronic Communication
• Information Sharing and Open Book Management
4
Upward Communication Systems
• Grapevine Communication
• Electronic Communication
• In-House Complaint Procedures
• Manager-Employee Meetings
• Suggestion Systems
• Attitude Survey Feedback
5
Counselling Functions
• Advice. Counsellors often give advice to those
being counselled in order to guide them toward
desired courses of action.
• Reassurance. The counselling experience often
provides employees with reassurance, which is
the confidence that they are following a suitable
course of action and have the courage to try it.
6
Counselling Functions
• Communication. Counselling is a
communication experience. It initiates upward
communication to management, and also gives
the counselor an opportunity to provide insights
to employees.
• Release of emotional tension. People tend to get
emotional release when they have an opportunity
to discuss their problems with someone else.
7
Counselling Functions
• Clarified thinking. Serious discussion of
problems with someone else helps a person to
think more clearly about these problems.
• Reorientation. Reorientation involves a change
in an employee’s basic self through a change in
goals and values. Deeper counselling of the type
practiced by psychologists and psychiatrists
often helps employees reorient values.
8
Discipline
Management action to encourage compliance with
the organization’s standards.
9
Preventative Discipline
Action taken prior to any infraction, to encourage
employees to follow the rules so infractions are
prevented.
10
Corrective Discipline
Action that follows a rule infraction and seeks to
discourage further infractions.
11
Due Process
Established rules and procedures for disciplinary
action are followed and employees have an
opportunity to respond to the charges.
12
Hot-Stove Rule
The principle that disciplinary action should be like
touching a hot stove; with warning, immediate,
consistent, and impersonal.
13
Progressive Discipline
A type of discipline whereby there are stronger
penalties for repeated offences.
14
Positive Discipline
• Focus on the specific problem rather than the
employee’s attitude or personality.
• Gain agreement with the employee that a performance
problem exists and that the employee is responsible for
changing his or her behaviour.
• Approach discipline as a problem-solving process.
15
Positive Discipline
• Document suggested changes or commitments
by the employee.
• Follow up to ensure that the employee is living
up to his or her commitments and to reduce the
likelihood of having to take more severe action.
16
Wrongful Dismissal
Dismissal without just cause or reasonable notice
of termination.
17
Requirements in Dismissing an
Incompetent Employee
• Have a reasonable and objective performance standard. It is the
employer’s responsibility to show that this standard has been
effectively communicated to employees and that other
employees have achieved the standard.
• Document employee’s performance indicating that he or she has
failed to meet the standards (while other employees have been
successful).
18
Requirements in Dismissing an
Incompetent Employee
• Have evidence of warnings given to the employee.
• Show that appropriate training, support, time, and
feedback have been provided to the employee to enable
the employee to learn the tasks.
• Demonstrate that the employee concerned had
reasonable time to improve performance.
19
Constructive Dismissal
Under common law, if an employer commits a
major breach of a major term of the employment
relationship, the employee may take the position
that dismissal has taken place even though he or
she has not received a formal termination notice.
20
Employee Rights
• Right to Privacy
• Right to Fair Treatment
• Rights in Business Closings and Workplace
Restructuring
21
Employee Involvement
• Quality circles
• Socio-Technical Systems
• Codetermination
• Self-Directed Work Teams or Groups
22
Questions?
Thanks
23
